Alex Gino loves glitter, ice cream, gardening, awe-ful puns, and stories that reflect the diversity and complexity of being alive. Alex’s debut, George, is the Stonewall and Lambda award-winning middle grade tale of Melissa, a transgender girl who the world sees as a boy named George. Alex is working on a new middle grade novel about baby sisters, deafness, racist police violence, and being in alliance with the people in your life. www.alexgino.com
Alex shares that the "overnight" success of George was actually ten years of working on the book (one year of revisions with his agent and then, once it went out on submission, sold in 24 hours.)
Some highlights:
"I wrote the book I wish I had as a kid."
on going emotionally deep - working on the balance between optimism and realism.
"My responsibility was to provide a mirror for kids who are Trans. …We get to have nice stories, too."
"My book is 90% editing."
"My goal was to show connection, friendship - not just show a Trans person, but to show the character's connection with the world.
Alex gives the advice that everyone has three amazing things about them, and that we each just have to figure out what are our three things.
"Kids are ready to take stuff on – go there."
